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Category: Appropriations

Topline Agreement Reached

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Just in time for the holidays, House Appropriation Chair Tom Cole (OK) and Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (ME) have announced a topline agreement for the remaining appropriations bills.

When lawmakers return from their year-end recess, Congress will have four weeks to close out a funding deal before the late-January shutdown deadline. The topline amounts have not been made public, but an agreement is critical to begin negotiations between House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats before the current Continuing Resolution expires at the end of January.

Details per the release:

  • Under this agreement, total FY26 spending will be below the level projected in the current continuing resolution set to expire in the coming weeks, delivering real savings for American taxpayers.
  • Full-year appropriations are necessary to implement Republican priorities aligned with the Trump Administration.
  • Gone are the days of Christmas omnibuses. Funding decisions will move through a deliberate, member-driven process that emphasizes transparency, accountability, and timely consideration.

Congress Home for the Holidays

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After a busy week, Senators huddled on the floor Thursday night as they made an eleventh-hour attempt to find a path forward on bringing up a bundle of five bills or minibus for consideration before the end of 2025. No agreement to move forward was reached after Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, both of Colorado, announced they would hold up the package after White House OMB director Russ Vought’s decision to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is based in Colorado.

 

The package under consideration in the Senate would fund the Departments of Defense, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce (including NOAA), Health and Human Services (including NIH), Transportation, Labor and Interior, along with the EPA and NSF.

A few Republican Senators have held the bill from moving forward but released a hold after Senate leadership agreed to an amendment vote on stripping earmarks in the legislation. The Colorado hold is new to the OMB decision.

The Senate will resume consideration and negotiations in January.

 

 

Shutdown Officially Ends

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After 43 days, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history has officially ended. President Donald Trump signed a funding bill late Wednesday night, just hours after the House passed it 222–209. The bill restores government operations through January and provides full-year funding for select agencies, including SNAP, which had been disrupted during the shutdown.

Despite Republicans’ narrow House majority, six Democrats crossed party lines to support the measure: Henry Cuellar of Texas, Don Davis of North Carolina, Adam Gray of California, Jared Golden of Maine, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, and Tom Suozzi of New York. Two Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Greg Steube of Florida—voted against it.

The bill includes backpay for federal workers and reverses layoffs imposed during the shutdown. However, it does not address Democrats’ key demand: extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at year’s end. Instead, Senate Majority Leader John Thune pledged to hold a vote on that issue in December—a promise many Democrats view with skepticism.

The shutdown, triggered by a standoff over healthcare subsidies, left millions without food aid, grounded flights, and forced federal employees to work without pay. In the end, Democrats did not gain any policy concessions, and the government reopened under deal that may or may not deliver on healthcare reform. With funding set to lapse again in January, Congress faces another deadline for full-year funding bills.

The End is in Sight

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The longest government shutdown in U.S. history is poised to end, with the House of Representatives scheduled to reconvene at approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday to vote on a funding bill passed by the Senate earlier this week.

The Senate measure advanced with the support of all Republican senators and a group of eight Democrats, a move that has sparked intense backlash from progressive activists and deepened divisions within the Democratic caucus. While the bipartisan support helped propel the bill forward procedurally, most Senate Democrats remain staunchly opposed to the package, citing concerns over spending priorities and the exclusion of key Democratic provisions.

In the House, the funding bill faces similar resistance from Democratic lawmakers. Despite this, Speaker Mike Johnson has expressed confidence that the measure will garner sufficient Republican support to pass, effectively ending the shutdown that has paralyzed federal operations for weeks.

The proposed legislation includes a short-term extension of funding for most federal agencies through January 30, 2026, providing a temporary reprieve while negotiations continue on broader appropriations. In addition to the stopgap funding, the package incorporates three full-year appropriations bills covering:

  • Military Construction and Veterans Affairs: Ensuring continued support for infrastructure projects and essential services for veterans.
  • Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Funding critical programs related to food safety, rural development, and agricultural subsidies.
  • Legislative Branch Operations: Maintaining the functioning of Congress and its support agencies, including staff salaries and administrative services.

House Democrats are expected to introduce an amendment aimed at extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits for an additional three years—a provision that has broad support among the party’s base. However, the amendment is unlikely to pass given the Republican opposition.

One Small Step…

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Last evening, by a vote of 60-40, the Senate finally agreed proceed on a legislative package that would, among other things, reopen the government. This represents the first step of many that would fund  and reopen the government.

After more a dozen failed procedural votes, the Senate was finally able to reach the 60-vote threshold on a proposal to move forward: In addition to legislation to reopen the government that includes backpay for federal workers, the agreement also includes a December vote to extend Obamacare subsidies.

Among other items, the legislative package that the Senate agreed to debate on includes: 

  • Three of the twelve full-year appropriations bills:  Agriculture; Legislative Branch; and Veterans Affairs;
  • a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the other parts of the government through January 30;
  • backpay for furloughed federal workers; and,
  • a prohibition on additional reductions in the federal workforce through the length of the CR.

Eight Democrats joined the vast majority of the Republicans in moving the proposal forward while one Republican opposed the move.

This agreement does not mean that the Senate has officially voted to approved the measure.  It just means that the Senate can now proceed to consider the package. 

In addition, if the Senate does ultimately approve it, the House– which has been in recess since September 19– must reconvene to pass it as well.  Finally, assuming both chambers agree, the final measure must be signed by the President.

At the end of the day, the Senate agreement to move forward represents the first step in a longer process to reopen the government.